Best places for solo travelers

Italy? Belgium?

I'm also in my 50s...just spent a week in Copenhagen this past September and loved it! It has everything on your list.

I heard Copenhagen is expensive. I always want to go but don't know if I can afford it. I am thinking maybe Portugal?? Lisbon then a couple of days on the south coast? I hear it is beautiful.

I would strongly recommend Italy. If you like history, scenery, and architecture Italy can't be beat. If you go to my profile, I have uploaded two, 10 minute YouTube videos of our 2015 RS Best of Italy Tour. I think you will agree after viewing the videos that Italy has a lot to offer. Be sure to turn the sound on.

Another solo traveler here--I find myself most comfortable alone in a big city, feel like I fit in a bit better. So far I have stayed in Tallinn, Vienna, Budapest, Krakow, Warsaw, Prague, Paris and Amsterdam and all were wonderfully entertaining. Of these my favorite is Budapest, I've now been 3 times with #4 planned for next spring. The only thing missing from your list is a beach, but there's so much to do and see there--and the food!--that I don't think you'd be disappointed. Also quite affordable, our dollar goes a long way in Hungary, the Czech republic and Poland.

What are the most important criteria for selecting a place? The one aspect that stands out to me from your post is "beaches", which really narrows down the options in September/October. If you're looking to swim, then going to Southern Europe or Turkey makes more sense because the water will be warm. I don't think there is a best place for solo travelers because solo travel is what you make of it (irrespective of the country)...I think your specific interests should guide the choice (I can't think of any place that doesn't have great architecture, scenery, good food, and history...but not all will have beaches). If by solo travel you mean that you have to be more budget-conscious (because there's no one else to split the cost with), then definitely consider places like Portugal, Italy (including Sicily), Greece, and countries that are not on the Euro like Turkey. If beaches are not a deal-breaker, then consider former Eastern European countries or the Balkans.

I would encourage you to try somewhere out of the cities just to see how you like it. I have found I like the smaller towns and villages best. I feel like (and am treated like) a visitor in smaller places. In the city I feel like (and am treated like) a tourist. Seems like a small distinction, but as a visitor people strike up conversations and show a genuine interest in me. As a tourist, I am just another person taking up space and in their way.

Just have a solid understanding of what it is you really want from your time at the beach and choose carefully. Plenty of beaches in Europe for sure, but depending when you go in September or October, the water might be too cold in some places to enjoy a swim.

Also, when you say you want " beautiful but not commercial" beaches, I read into that as you want to go someplace off the beaten track, or perhaps someplace not constantly touted in a bunch of American guidebooks with maybe more of a locals only vibe (or at least other vacationers from Europe). If that's the case, again, your timing in September or October might make it a bit tougher as you may find businesses (restaurants and the like) are starting to wind down or have already ceased operations for the season.

And what are your expectations in terms of the shoreline? There are people who (wrongly) assume all European beaches will have soft sandy coastline just like they are used to in many parts of the U.S., Mexico or Caribbean. Not always the case and it runs the gamut from sand to small pebbles to downright large rocks where you most definitely need to lay on a chaise lounge and wear some sort of sandal or water shoes when you go swimming. When I lived in Italy, I spent a lot of time on the Adriatic side in Portonovo. Beautiful and scenic? Yes. Not commercial? For sure, and it seemed to appeal most to other Italians with a few random sun-burnt German tourists every now and then. But come late September/early October, the place was a ghost town. And with all the large rocks that lined the beaches, I was not spreading out a towel to lay on and I always had to wear water sandals.

That said, just about any country in Europe can be great for solo travelers based on your other interests you listed. Portugal would be a good one if that's how you are leaning right now. If not, I would say Italy, Croatia or Greece and if you really want to add the beach to your itinerary, then I'd do what's needed to pull the trip up into the month of September (particularly the first half) to maximize my chances at getting better beach weather and finding more local businesses that may not have shut down operations just yet.

I travel solo almost all the time now and love it; my most recent trip was Slovenia and Croatia and I highly recommend both. The beaches in Croatia are gorgeous and the scenery in both countries is amazing. Full of history, too. Diocletian's palace and Dubrovnik's Old Town have interesting architecture, as well. Both are very safe for solo females.

ETA - I neglected to look at your name before posting so I'm guessing the safe for solo females part doesn't apply, sorry!

Portugal is very cheap, has beaches and you will make friends if you want to.

I travel solo, am a senior, in Germany and Austria, focusing now esp on eastern Germany. I recommend that, Poland, and the Czech Rep. Not a problem at all, just plan, study, and prepare, I go after historical sites and landscape.

Christa:

Of these my favorite is Budapest,... The only thing missing from your list is a beach

There is a beach of sorts in Budapest - on Margaret Island. I wouldn't advice you to swim in the Danube, but there are swimming pools - or you could try Széchenyi Thermal Bath.

When I retired, I broke out of my England/France/Netherlands bubble. I've traveled solo to places as disparate as Singapore and Switzerland, Canada and Cambodia, Australia and Austria (no kangaroos in Austria :-). I went mainly to cities because they have so much to offer (history, art, architecture) and they are easy to get to by plane and train. About 5 years ago, I looked into renting a car in Europe and found it wasn't too expensive for my budget (I try to keep costs down so I can travel more) since I am comfortable driving a manual shift. A few days with a car lets me explore small towns and villages, take scenic drives in Spain, France and Italy, and access more remote sights - like the buffalo farm in Campagnia. So I don't think there are necessarily "better" places for solo travelers.

I'm going to Poland and Hungary in September, before the cold weather sets in. If you haven't been to Italy, I urge you to put it at the top of your list. I think everyone should visit Italy. October would be better than September, less heat and fewer tourists - lots of tourists but not as many as September. The classic trip is to fly into Venice, then see Florence and finish in Rome. If you have 2 weeks on the ground, you could add another stop and some day trips. If you have 3 weeks, you could add the Amalfi Coast. If you can fly home from Naples, you could fit the AC into a 2-week trip without rushing.

Margit sziget is my favorite place to spend a few hours in Budapest--but for the storks, not the shoreline! I have yet to visit the baths, something about them does not appeal to me, but that could change.

Thanks all. The beach would not necessarily be for swimming. I like the scenery, the sound of waves and reading a good book while watching nature.

Pick where you want to travel. The nice thing about traveling solo is you don't have to please anyone but yourself.

Beaches? My favorites, that I've visited so far, are on the Costa de la Luz on the southwest coast of Spain. Miles and miles of virtually deserted beaches - just enough services to find a place to eat and sleep.

You may prefer crowds with waiters bringing drinks to your lounge chair. When traveling solo, you get to choose.

Main tips from Poland are Warsaw, Cracow, Zakopane, Wrocław, Poznań, Szczecin, Gdańsk and Toruń
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Poland
http://poland100bestrestaurants.pl/en/
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g274723-Poland.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/polish/soap/facts.shtml
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Chopin_Airport

Have a nice time in Europe!
Michal from Szczecin

@ Michal...Thanks for information on Szczecin. It is certainly on my list of cities to see in Poland.

A very good feasible possibility is to see the city prior doing a repeat visit in Gdansk, ie, from Berlin to Gdansk (which I did on a ten hour train ride in 2003), but this time stopping for two -three nights to spend in Szczecin, a good spring board to see the mouth of the Oder.

Thanks a lot! I hope you will have good time in Szczecin. It is a good idea to stay here longer than one day as the city is very extensive with varied terrain. You can see here among others
- Pomeranian Dukes' Castle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ducal_Castle,_Szczecin, http://zamek.szczecin.pl/zwiedzanie.php
- National Museum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Museum,_Szczecin
- Szczecin Philharmonic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szczecin_Philharmonic
- Rose Garden https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%B3%C5%BCanka_Rose_Garden
You can see the city and the harbour from a boat
http://en.statek.info/
The area of Szczecin raises interest because of attractions in Stargard, Police, Nowe Warpno, Ueckermünde, Pasewalk and Penkun
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stargard
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police,_Poland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowe_Warpno
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ueckerm%C3%BCnde
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasewalk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penkun
and a bit further Kołobrzeg and Świnoujście
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko%C5%82obrzeg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9Awinouj%C5%9Bcie

These websites can be useful for those who want to visit Poland
http://poland100bestrestaurants.pl/en/
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g274723-Poland.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/polish/soap/facts.shtml
You can check trains and buy tickets on
http://rozklad-pkp.pl/en

Where I've traveled on my own and loved!

The UK: London, York, Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Salisbury, Canterbury
Germany: Berlin, Potsdam, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Munich, Aachen, Stuttgart, Freiburg
France: Paris, Chartres, Nice, Strasbourg
Austria: Salzburg, Vienna
The Netherlands: Amsterdam, Haarlem, Delft
Spain: Barcelona